Tuesday, 20 December 2016

Hello lovely readers! Hope all of you are doing well and are enjoying the festive season. Less than a week to Christmas now... is everyone excited?!

I had a little time after doing some Christmas shopping (still not done yet... yikes!) and I made these Marmite sausage rolls for tea. They are so easy to make; especially that I'm using store-bought puff pastry. If you make them into mini sausage rolls, they also make great nibble-y party food.

I completely understand that the world is divided into two kinds of people. Those who love Marmite (Me!) and those who can't stand it. However, I'd still encourage those who are not keen on Marmite to try these as well. The flavour of Marmite here isn't as obvious as let's say, if you're having it on toast. But it really boost the meatiness of the sausage meat, giving it that savoury umami flavour.

To begin, in a saute pan over medium heat, heat a little olive oil and thrown in one finely chopped medium sized onion. Season with salt and pepper. The salt will help to prevent the onions from burning, Cook the onions for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are nicely brown. Then add in the garlic and stir for a couple of minutes and set aside to cool slightly.

In another bowl, add the sausage meat. I bought regular sausages and squeeze them out of its casings. Then add in the slightly cooled onion mix with a pinch of red pepper flakes for some heat and fragrant fresh thyme leaves.

Then, pour in the beautiful, dark and glossy Marmite... hmmm...

And some delicious mature cheddar cheese... now, we're really talking! Season with salt and pepper to taste. Go easy with the salt though. There's already salt in the onions, Marmite is salty as well as the cheese. Give this a good mix.

The assembly itself couldn't be easier. Not only my puff pastry is store bought, but it's also ready-rolled which means I don't have to do anything to it.

Cut each sheet of the puff pastry into four rectangles and put the filling on the centre of each one. Be as generous as you like, but just make sure you are able to fold it nicely later. Brush the sides with beaten egg and fold into a sausage roll. To secure the edges, I use a fork and press all the sides and prick the top several times. This will ensure the steam from inside is able to escape.

Brush the top again with egg wash and I sprinkle some coarse black pepper and more fresh thyme leaves. When all of them are assembled, bake in a pr-heated 180 C oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Let the sausage rolls rest for 10 minutes and you know exactly what to do next...